George Taylor Back in the late 1980's and early 1990's Marvel was selling the rights to it's characters to virtually anyone. The rights to Marvel's first family fell into the hands of schlockmeister extraordinary Roger Corman (I mean that in a nice way). The result: A 12$ budget doesn't work. The Think looked alright, but the rest of the FF is mostly animated - especially the Torch. Put your hands over your mouth and speak - that's the Thing and Doctor Doom (who at least looked far better than he did in either of the other movies). But overall this is a tedious exercise in how to make a crappy movie. It's as bad as the Captain America's of the 1970's and 1990's.

Platypuschow I went in expecting cheese, I went in expecting something similiar to the 1990 Captain America or even the 1970's Spiderman but what I got was something altogether different.This origin story Fantastic Four movie cost 1 million dollars to make which back in 1994 made it a high budget film. The fact it isn't well known and considered mainstream is because it's so bad it's been brushed under the carpet.With embarassing special effects, a cast who simply can't be bothered and some ridiculous over the top performances & soundtrack the whole thing is truly abyssmal.I don't know what it is with the Fantastic Four but cinematically they just can't get a break. Maybe when they finally get added to the Marvel Universe they'll have their day but for now I think the 2005 movie is the best one going.The Fantastic Four is like Batman Forever (1995) made by kindergarteners starring McDonalds workers.The Good:Erm...well....there is that part that....errr.....I got nothingThe Bad:Stupidly over the top in placesSome major differences from the comicAll looks so very dreadfulIs simply seven shades of terribleThings I Learnt From This Movie:A blind person can fall in love with a man she's never seen nor even really spoken toThe Fantastic Four are doomed to never have a great movie

gjcomics1 I enjoyed spotting all the things in this movie that were stolen from popular contemporaries: The soundtrack here is ostensibly just the Jurassic Park them with some sad violins added in. The sequence where the heroes receive their Fantastic Four powers is lifted out of 2001: A Space Odyssey (when Dave Bowman encounters the monolith,) Only this time, it's less dazzling. The ending of FANTASTIC FOUR is just Batman & The Joker all over again. I liked the Thing's storyline. In the movie, the Thing falls in love with this artist named Alicia. And though Alicia and The Thing have never spoken a full sentence to one another, they would gladly go the grave defending their love for one another! You can appreciate the passion. Alicia says maybe two lines in the whole movie, which makes it even more baffling when she abruptly bleats out "I LOVE YOU!"The Thing's motivation was clearly defined. Motivation is important. Its what makes us care about a character, and want to see how the character fares in the story. Reed and Doom's motivations seem to be basically identical: scientific supremacy. As for the two blond kids, I'm not really sure why they are even there. Apparently Sally has been DTF her entire life. Johnny is just there to be the Deus Ex Machina.AND NOW... LADIES AND GENTLEMEN... The Oscar for most over the top acting goes to... D O C T O R D O O M! OMG! WHY ARE WE SHOUTING? LOUD NOISES! AUUUGGHGHHHHHH!!!! WHAT IS GOING ON WITH DR DOOMS HANDS IN THIS MOVIE? He touches everybody on the face like he has never seen another human being before. When he is explaining his master plan, he goes into full Ricky Bobby mode! "I don't know what to do with my hands!"The movie's pacing is lop-sided. Starts off moderate, then takes a sudden ninety-degree turn into the stratosphere. We are introduced to the characters, their relationships, etc. We are given lots of interesting information, and we are left to decide for ourselves how to feel about it.Is Reed a good guy or bad guy for testing the limits of science? After all, it nearly got his best friend killed! Should the heroes even use their powers? Interesting questions pop up but dissipate as soon as they appear. When Dr. Doom reveals his intent to nuke the entire city of New York into oblivion (because, f$#@ New York) it becomes absolutely necessary for the heroes to use their powers regardless of morality.The ending, then, gives no closure. We are still unsure if Reed is a good guy or bad guy. He saved New York from a disaster which he himself created... Ah, who cares... Having powers is pretty awesome! Cue the classy shot of Reed riding away in a limo, his rubbery hand outstretched through the moon-roof, waving goodbye, just like Arnold at the end of Last-Action-Hero... *JURASSIC PARK THEME PLAYS amid a SAD VIOLINS*

Jimmy L. Today, movies based on comic book superheroes are all the rage. They are routinely some of the biggest blockbusters of the year and several recent superhero flicks are among the highest grossing films of all time. But this was not always so. For a while, comic book heroes were relegated to cheap serials and B pictures, along with made-for-TV movies.SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE (1978) was a "real" movie: an A picture with a Hollywood-sized budget and a cast of name actors. Tim Burton's BATMAN (1989) was another "real" movie based on a comic book superhero. Both films spawned successful franchises, bringing the fantasy world of DC Comics to life on the big screen. But in the early '90s, it seemed that comic book properties (outside of Batman, that is) were still largely considered niche fare, worthy only of low-budget productions aimed at children (the perceived comic book-reading community). Marvel Comics did not have the kind of success enjoyed by rival DC. While Superman and Batman had been brought to the screen courtesy of Warner Bros., Marvel's characters were licensed out to small-time studios. A planned Spider-Man film fell through in the late '80s and a low-budget Captain America film was released direct-to-video in 1990.Which brings us to THE FANTASTIC FOUR (1994). If comic book movies were thought to be too goofy or weird for mainstream, big-budget productions, then I guess THE FANTASTIC FOUR is the perfect low-budget, cheesy superhero movie. The film remains true to the comics with regard to the colorful costumes and the characters. (Evidently there was little concern in these movies to "adapt" the source material for mainstream consumption.) The special effects aren't too fancy, but it's interesting to see how the filmmakers make do with what they've got in order to tell their story.The movie tells the origin of Marvel Comics' First Family. An outer space mishap leaves four individuals with extraordinary abilities. Dr. Reed Richards ("Mr. Fantastic") can stretch his body like a rubber band. Sue Storm ("The Invisible Girl") can become invisible. Johnny Storm ("Human Torch") can conjure flames. Ben Grimm ("The Thing") has a rocklike exterior and super-strength. They must battle Dr. Doom, a hooded megalomaniac who wants to harness the secret to their powers.Rebecca Staab is too cute as Sue Storm (and in that blue spandex... wowsers). Joseph Culp hams it up to a high degree as Dr. Doom. His face hidden behind a metal mask, Doom takes to wild gesticulations and his booming dialogue is amusingly over-the-top. Jay Underwood, looking like Armie Hammer's long-lost older brother, plays the fiery-tempered Johnny Storm, who mainly shoots fire out of his hand. He doesn't realize his full "Human Torch" potential until the climax, when the producers shell out for some early CGI. The animatronic Thing mask is rather impressive, despite some lip-sync limitations. Of all the superpowers portrayed in the film, Reed Richards's stretchy effects are the most awkward.It's nice to see Reed Richards (Alex Hyde-White) portrayed as maybe a half-generation older than Sue and Johnny. Reed knew Sue when she was a kid and he was a college student. A decade later, Reed is a big-time scientist, complete with (somewhat ridiculous) gray temples and Sue and Johnny are grown-up enough to go with him on a space mission. Ben (Michael Bailey Smith), Reed's jock buddy from college, is the pilot.In this story, Reed Richards and Doom were college eggheads together before the accident that led Doom down his sinister path. Reed blames himself for his friend's apparent death, while Doom seeks revenge by sabotaging Reed's later expedition. In the ten-year gap Doom has somehow become the iron-fisted ruler of some foreign domain, living in a mountaintop castle and everything.A secondary villain, the Jeweler (Ian Trigger), leads an underground society of social outcasts. He has a poetic soul and serves as an interesting contrast to Doom.I'm only casually familiar with "Fantastic Four" comic book continuity, but this 1994 movie hits some right notes. The romance between Reed and Sue, starting as a schoolgirl crush on a mentor figure. The love story between the monstrously disfigured Ben Grimm and the blind Alicia Masters. The blue and white costumes (sewn apparently out of thin air by Sue Storm on a lazy afternoon at the Baxter Building). There's even an appearance by the Fantasticar.The film never mentions the heroes' well-known comic book nicknames, but in one particularly corny scene the team is given its "Fantastic Four" moniker. The movie also posits the theory that the cosmic rays that transformed them delved into their psyches and turned their personal weaknesses into their greatest strengths (shy violet Sue Storm has the ability to disappear, etc.). I don't know if this comes from the comic book origins, but the pseudoscientific explanation allows the film to move on to more important things.As a low-budget superhero romp, THE FANTASTIC FOUR goes down easy. It's not the polished studio blockbuster that we've come to expect from comic book movies, but it's a faithful adaptation on a small scale. A quaint little movie with a lot of heart. Somewhat tragically, the film was never intended to be released, unbeknownst to the cast and crew. All their hard work for nothing. Luckily the movie has found its way out into the world and can be tracked down by those interested in giving it a shot.